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Simply the Best

We think our fans are the best, but a recent study from Emory University is the latest evidence confirming the loyalty of the Flyer Faithful.

We think our fans are the best in the nation, and a recent study from Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business is the latest to confirm the loyalty of the Flyer Faithful.

Two professors who operate the school’s sports marketing analytics website have spent the last month evaluating the nation’s top college basketball fan bases, and their June 7 post highlighted schools outside the six Bowl Championship Series conferences.

Among those programs, Dayton finished first.

"For the decade from 2001 to 2011, the Flyers averaged over 21 wins per season and made three NCAA tournaments," Emory professors Michael Lewis andManish Tripathi wrote."And while this is a very respectable performance, the Dayton fans provided exceptional support. Dayton plays in a large arena (13,435 seats) and on average, over 92 percent of seats are filled (2005 to 2011).

"The end result is that Dayton has averaged about three times as much revenue as the average D1 basketball program."

Xavier ranked second in their analysis, and Wichita State was third. The professors also examined programs such as Memphis, UNLV and Butler, which have experienced recent NCAA Tournament success during the past 10 years.